Virginia Henderson's Need Theory in Nursing Essay Example

Nursing theories are an important functional part of the profession of nursing. These theories help to direct the practice of nursing and care of patients. The Nursing Need theory was developed by Virginia Henderson. This theory was developed to emphasize the individualization of patient care in hospitals to focus on their basic needs and help promote independence and quicker recovery time. She describes the nurse’s role in patient care as being substitutive, supplementary, and complementary to basic needs of patients with the major goal of helping the individual become independent. (Ahtisham et al., 2015) The theory is focused on basic patient needs which she categorized into 14 points including: respirations, hydration/nutrition, elimination, posture/ambulation, clothing needs, temperature regulation, hygiene, avoid danger to self/others, communication, region/spiritual, work performance, play/recreation, learning/developmental (Sitzman & Lisa Wright Eichelberger, 2017). 

This theory focuses on one of the main aspects of nursing which is basic patient care. Nurses have the ability to individualize patients care to their needs. Physician prescribe a specific treatment or orders in relation to patients’ diagnosis, preventions, etc. but nurses work with the patient and tailor the care they are providing to the patients’ needs not only to treat their specific aliments, but to also promote their overall health. This theory includes 17 assumptions that were implicated by the theory. Two of these assumptions are nurses collaborate within an interdisciplinary team and become independent professionally from the physician and goals are achieved with a relationship between patient and nurse with health promotion as the nurse’s main goal. (Virginia Henderson’s Need Based Theory and Implications, n.d.) The assumption of collaboration and becoming independent professionally of the physician addresses the difference in care provided to patients. The nurses collaborate with physicians to develop a plan of care specific to the patients’ past medical history, current reason for admission, or visit, and prevention of complications. The nurses however, are able to develop a plan of care individualized to the patients’ basic needs and level of assistance they require whether it is supplementary, substitutive or complementary to the patients’ abilities. This is important to patients needs to helping to develop independence, reduce complications, and decrease recovery time. 

The second assumption discussed is the symbiotic relationship between patient and nurse to achieve goals including health promotion. This is an extremely important factor in the field of nursing. Developing a relationship of trust with a patient is an influential part of patient care. This is the most important factor to helping patients achieve their goals and to promote a health. A limitation of this theory includes that prioritization of needs is not identified in this theory. The prioritization of patient needs and safety is an extremely important part of the nursing profession. Prioritization allows for nurses to identify life threatening situations, highest risk for complications, etc. and is one of the main jobs of nurses. Without this being attributed in this theory the theory becomes limited. 

As a nursing student I have been able to help contribute to caring for many patients. One of my most recent patients recently had a stroke. I was able to see how the nursing needs theory applied to this patient. This patient unfortunately became unable to perform almost all of their basic needs following their stroke. The patient was non-communicative, could not control elimination, could not manage hydration or nutrition, was immobile, etc. The job of a nurse for this patient is to be substitutive to providing these basic needs. This included providing nutrition, hydration, hygiene, mobilization, and more while promoting health is the main goal. This patient is where you can see the assumption of interdisciplinary care as well as being independently professional as a nurse. For this patient the collaboration with many other interdisciplinary teams was important. Working with the physician to develop a plan of care for nutrition and hydration, and prevention of complications, and working with a physical therapist to develop a care plan to prevent contractures, muscle breakdown, and promote mobility, and even more collaboration with other interdisciplinary teams. 

This demonstrates the importance of the nursing needs theory in this patient. This patient requires extremely individualized care to achieve their basic needs and promote their health. For this patient this is substantial because it goes beyond the aspect of providing medications and treatments to a much more individualized level of care that is needed. It demonstrates how this theory was integrated into their care. The nursing needs theory is important to all patients but for patients such as this one it is the only way their basic needs can be fulfilled. 

The nursing needs theory plays into practice strikingly and most individuals do not even realize this and its importance. This theory has derivable consequences in the nursing field in the importance of basic patient needs and health promotion. As a nurse we follow a treatment plan that is designated to the patient but we also are in charge of helping promote independence and care for basic needs. Nurses are a huge part of attending to or supplementing patient’s daily care which can be different needs for every patient. Basic needs are vital to patient care and are highly attributed to promoting health for not only patients but for everyone. Therefore, a majority of the care nurses provide to patients is attributed back to the theory of nursing needs. Without the implementation of this theory patients would be at risk of complications and longer recovery times and have to deal with the struggle of learning how to become independent in their self-care. 

This theory is extremely important in the profession of nursing. This theory demonstrates how nursing while is collaborative it also has many independent aspects that govern the nursing profession. This theory is influential on the care that we as nurses are providing to patients. This theory is also important in helping patients developing independence and educating them on how to promote their independence outside the hospital. One important factor is that while this theory does govern the promotion of nurses individualizing care and providing basic needs and health promotion, it is important to remember that it does not govern the aspect of patient prioritization of need prioritization. It also does not address the aspect of embracing patient preferences and it is important to remember this when providing this care to patients. These are also two important factors that are integrated in all patients care along with the nursing needs theory. This is why theories such as these are not used independently of each other rather nursing theory is also a collaboration of ideas that has been integrated into the nursing profession.